As we endeavor to transform families in Rwanda, we recognize that a key area of focus is men’s ministry. The Apostle Paul invested in his young protégé, Timothy, by clarifying the type of man who would serve as a leader in the Church. These admirable character traits should inspire us all to press further in our own personal character development!
Paul wrote that a man who aspires to be a leader should be “above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money,”a good manager of his family, and have a good reputation (1 Timothy 3:2-4).
With these central truths in mind, we specifically targeted Rwandan men with a new program that launched this summer. More than 60 men attended our inaugural Men’s Ministry outreach event. Twenty of these men stood up to indicate that they had never walked through the gates of Hope Haven before this event, and we welcomed them with open arms. Chaplain Shema led a breathtaking competition with four football/soccer teams playing each against other and then shared a brilliant 10-minute devotional.
This event served as the foundation for our “Men of Hope” outreach program, which is changing the lives of men throughout our community. This club is reaching men in the community who attended discipleship meetings, received entrepreneurship training, created a saving’s group and worked together to eventually earn their own bicycles to use for taxi businesses in the village. Today, they meet each week for accountability, continuing education and spiritual formation.
The Men of Hope savings group developed policies to govern their group and a financial tracking system to monitor their participation. They also committed to visiting the home and family of one member each week. Last week, a group of Men of Hope members went to another member’s home and contributed funds to help with a child who is hospitalized. Chaplain Shema said, “[The Men of Hope member] was very happy for the help and support that he received from his fellow men.” What a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ serving one another!
Now, they have started another creative outreach platform: A soccer team! More than 45 men attended the first Monday and Wednesday afternoon practices and Chaplain Shema was able to share the Gospel with new men following both practices.
We are so pleased to see what God is doing through “Men of Hope” and will be sharing much more about this in the months ahead. For now, I challenge you to reflect on these questions: Do you aspire to be a person of character, marked by the qualities that Paul shared with Timothy? How can you more authentically share that journey of character development with other brothers and sisters?